Faith and Finding your Inner Peace

by Amelia Evans

We live in a society that emphasizes achieving goals and material things. We continually push ourselves daily and we wage a battle within ourselves about what society expects of us and what we truly want.

The stress, negative emotions, turmoil, violent feelings, and overthinking take a big toll on our wellness and mental health. And there comes a point in our lives when we need or are forced to pause, take a deep breath, and think or what weâ€™ve done and the future direction we should take.

Truth be told, we can all be very busy but not get anywhere. Like running on a treadmill and finding that weâ€™re still right where we started. Though we canâ€™t control the things that are happening to us, there are things we can do to find and promote inner peace. Here are some techniques you can follow to help you find that inner calm and quiet:

1 Practice mindfulness

Practice mindfulness by being present and aware of where you are without being overwhelmed by the things that are happening around us. Mindfulness can reduce stress, increase awareness, spark innovation, enhance performance, and increase our attention to the well-being of others.

2 Escape for a while

Break the monotony by taking a break or a vacation. It isnâ€™t quitting. It is only temporary. Escaping lets you recharge and do some soul-searching. You donâ€™t need to spend on a vacation. A movie marathon, reading a book for the weekend, trekking or taking a long walk in the nearest hill, park, or mountain will do just as well.

3 Let go of trying to be perfect

If you constantly put in a lot of energy to pursue your goals and fail to take a rest when your body needs it, sooner or later youâ€™ll feel drained and burned out. With this, comes the feeling of a lack of balance. You may even lose motivation and the energy that is necessary to achieve what you want.

Let go, accept that you are human and have flaws like everyone else. When you realize and accept this truth, youâ€™ll be less harsh to yourself and get more tasks done. As the saying goes, â€œDone is better than perfectâ€.

4 Forgive yourself

Most of us have a constant war within us and some even have a hate against themselves. It could be self-blame or predicting our future failure based on our past failures. Practice self-compassion. Take care of yourself. Do things that make you happy. Forgive yourself for past failures and start fresh.
Forgiving yourself gets you unstuck from your current state or situation and lets you more forward. By moving forward and doing things you havenâ€™t done before, you will feel tremendously rewarded and feel better about yourself.

5 Smile and validate yourself

Every day try to smile. You donâ€™t necessarily have to look serious for you to do things well. Achieving your life goals is important but you also need to enjoy the process or journey to success. Smile freely but at the same time practice on getting better. Smiling lightens the load or heaviness you feel because of the responsibilities you put on yourself.

Taking on responsibilities is a part of life. Instead of focusing on the results, set milestones so you can measure your progress. Learn to celebrate the small wins. This is an easy way to validate yourself and your achievements.

Life may be draining and a lot is required of you daily. Anyone can sometimes feel hopelessness,

Desperation, confusion, or lack of motivation but practicing some of the tips mentioned here can clear up the clutter in your mind and develop inner quiet and be open to what the world has to offer.